Tomb Raider (iOS) Review

The original Tomb Raider game is still today one of the most influential titles ever released. The game developed by Eidos really set some high standards for all third person action adventure games that have followed it, making it the franchise to beat in order to be successful.

Things have changed quite a lot since then as did the series. For a few years Lara’s adventures haven’t been as successful as they had been during the first PlayStation era, most likely due to the fact that many of these more recent games weren’t as good as the first ones. The series has managed to become revelant once again thanks to the reboot game released earlier this year on consoles and PC.

Considering the success of the new game, it made a lot of sense to release the original Tomb Raider on iOS as to allow younger generations of gamers to experience a now classic game.

The iOS port of Tomb Raider is pretty much identical to the original PlayStation version, with all the good and bad points that come with it. The game isn’t what I’d call an easy experience, as most of all standard features of modern action adventure games are missing here. There are no generous checkpoints, no maps, no automatic jumps, no easy way out. Every jump you make and every bullet you use against the enemy requires careful planning.

The controls are exactly the same as they were in the original game. You get a dedicated button that allows Lara to mode sideways. This button is also used to make Lara go gently to left or right while running. This control scheme is undeniably not very modern so it could put off gamers who expected something different.

Tomb Raider is a true adventure game at its core, where the main focus of the game is exploration. For this reason combat is not really a strong point of the game. Most encounters with the enemies will see Lara aiming automatically at the enemy while avoiding any attacks. It’s a really simple combat system that doesn’t demand any real aiming skill like modern games do.

As you can see, Tomb Raider on iOS is almost the exact same game it was on the first PlayStation, graphics and sounds included. Unfortunately it doesn not play as nicely as the original game due to touch controls. In a game where a missed jump means death ( and going at the beginning of the stage, if you haven’t saved), having unprecise controls is definitely not a good thing. The game is compatible with control pads but very few people will be able to play the game this way.

Tomb Raider is a game that has its undeniable charms. Some players who have never played the original will definitely love it, despite the unfriendly controls and some dated mechanics. Nostalgic like myself will definitely enjoy it way more. I really can’t recommend this game to anyone since its somewhat archaic mechanics may frustrate some gamers. Make sure to check out some videos to see if this could be a game you might enjoy.